UNLV’s versatile secondary ready to take the next step in 2026

Amid plenty of new names on the defensive side of the UNLV football program, a few familiar faces are looking to take on bigger roles in Year 2 of the Dan Mullen era, including a trio in the secondary.

Those returning players include safety Jake Pope and defensive backs Mumu Bin Wahad and Tre Fulton, who, in addition to growing from a leadership standpoint, will be expected to line up at a number of different spots throughout a game.

After a year in which the safeties coach position was left in limbo following Paul Guenther’s move to defensive coordinator late in spring camp, Kapp Dede was hired in January to fill the void. Dede brings experience in a variety of roles at programs including Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi State and Louisville.

“Camp is a grind as always,” Dede said. “I think there is a lot of competitive edge and competitive spirit out here. We’ve also got some good leadership.

“Jake Pope is a guy who has played a lot of football, Tre Fulton has really been coming along, and Mumu is doing a good job, so we’re just trying to build on that.”

After losing defensive back Aamaris Brown, who took the majority of the Rebels’ snaps at nickel during the 2025 campaign, Bin-Wahad has been tasked with adding the versatile role to his repertoire, something Dede believes he can do based on his skill set.

“Mumu has a lot of flexibility. He has played corner, and he has played some nickel, and he has the agility to do both,” Dede said. “He is a guy who has a lot of burst, and he can accelerate.”

In addition to their work on the field, Bin Wahad and Pope have made it a point of emphasis to become leaders within the locker room, continuing to build upon the culture that led the Rebels to their third consecutive Mountain West championship game appearance last season.

“Each day is the standard, and the standard is to get 1% better every day,” Pope said. “I always tell the guys to find one thing each day to get better at and focus on that, and you’ll keep improving each and every day.

“Especially with the young guys that come in, they have got to learn how this college football stuff works, and you’ll get left behind if you’re not working hard, so I just try to get these guys elevated. If everyone can work that way, then it is going to be a great group.”

Pope made previous stops at SEC programs Alabama and Georgia before arriving at UNLV last season, where he totaled 81 tackles, 38 solo, five pass breakups and an interception against Hawaii during the Rebels’ win in the Ninth Island Showdown.

“(The previous stops) just taught me to fly around with limitless effort to the ball and find out what is important about your defense,” Pope said. “If we mess up on the field, I expect us to run the play back and do it right; that is what I learned there.”

One of the younger players trying to implement what Pope and Bin Wahad have been preaching is Fulton, who is returning for his sophomore season at UNLV.

Fulton, a 6-foot-3 Bakersfield, California, native, appeared in all 14 games as a freshman in the Rebels’ defense while posting 33 total tackles, four pass breakups and a forced fumble.

With a year of college experience under his belt, Fulton is looking to pick up right where he left off.

“My goals this year are just to get better and continue to grow,” Fulton said. “I just want to grow on what I did last year and, as a player, put myself in a better position to succeed.

“Having coach (Guenther) as the same defensive coordinator since he came halfway through the spring season last year definitely helps the confidence with knowing the finer details and things like that.”

With returning veterans and aspiring young talent leading the way for the Rebels’ secondary this time around, UNLV will look to improve upon a defense that ranked 89th nationally in 2025 while allowing 28 points per game as the Rebels pursue the program’s first conference championship.